


Damn Skippy

by suallenparker



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Pets, Set after Season 2, Trust, fixing their friendship, goldfish, philinda bad days
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-14
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-14 17:27:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4573239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suallenparker/pseuds/suallenparker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After his pet got kidnapped, Phil has some questions for Melinda.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Damn Skippy

**Author's Note:**

> This is day 14 of the Philinda Bad Days Challenge over on Tumblr. I hope you enjoy! As always, I love to hear from you!

“Skippy was abducted,” Phil said and sat down next to Melinda.

She looked up from her cup of tea. “Who's Skippy?”

“My goldfish.”

She just stared at him.

“While you were on vacation, I got a goldfish and named him Skippy.”

She kept staring. Gosh, he had missed her! She had returned alone from her vacation with Andrew a week ago. It had been weird, having her back. there had been this strange distance. Part of it was his fault. He hadn't handled things very well before she had left. But she had returned.

He swallowed. “Keeping a pet kangaroo would be cruel.”

She didn't even blink!

“Anyway, my fish was abducted.” He tilted his head. “Is there anything you want to tell me? Anything?”

“No.”

“May?”

She raised a brow. “Are you trying to interrogate me?”

He leaned forward and placed a hand on her arm. “Don't look at me as an agent. Imagine me as a priest. you can trust me. Tell me your sins, May.”

Her eyes widened and he felt her tense up under his touch. Bahrain. Shit.

He frowned. “Hey.”

She looked away. Shit!

“You're supposed to say I couldn't handle the truth,” he said, forcing a smile. His heart raced. Shit.

She pressed her lips together.

He was such an idiot! But they had to talk about it some day, right? He hated that this stood between them. While she had been gone, he had thought about all the things he needed to tell her. He just wished, his timing wouldn't suck as much. He wished he could handle this without hurting her more. it was obviously too late for that. He sighed. “We haven't talked about Bahrain since -” When she tried to pull away, he kept hold of her. “Don't run away,” he begged. She had run out on him the last time.

She stopped in her movements.

“You were right,” he said softly. “It does change things. If I had known, maybe I could've been better at helping you through this.” He had failed her so very often. He didn't want to fail her again. “Melinda?”

She looked at him.

“I still -” He bit his lip and shrugged. He still loved her. But she wouldn't want to hear that. She was happy with Andrew. “You're still the person I trust most,” he said instead, “and I won't let the lines blur again, I promise.”

That was part of their issues, wasn't it? They pushed their boundaries and then he forgot that he should've been over that stupid, stupid crush on her decades ago. They were partners. At least he hoped they could still be that. And that would be enough.

He pulled his hand back. “I had a lot of time to think while you were on vacation.”

“I'm sorry -”

He shook his head. “I'm glad you went. I'm so glad you did something for yourself. I want you to be happy.” She was finally healing. How could he not support that?

For a moment their gazes connected and that weird distance ever since she knew he had kept things from her, ever since Skye confronted her about Bahrain, was just gone. And he had his best friend back.

She sighed and straightened up. “I abducted your goldfish.” She raised a brow. “In my defense, I thought you'd be clever enough to figure out the clues I left.”

He grinned. “I found him in the showers of the training room on level eight. The plastic kangaroo in the goldfish-glass was a nice touch.” Now the goldfish was back in his room, on his desk.

They smiled at each other.

“Why did you do it? Prank me?” he asked.

“Did you obsess about your hand while you were searching for him?”

“I don't obsess!”

She tilted her head ever so slightly.

He hadn't missed how fast she saw through his personal bullshit. But it made him feel less lonely. He rolled his eyes. No need to give her that satisfaction easily. “I didn't think about my hand the ten minutes it took me to find Skippy.”

“Ten minutes?”

“Fifteen, tops.”

That head tilt again. Damn.

“It took me an hour,” he admitted sheepishly. Then he straightened up. “If they would've turned my hand into a go-go-gadget-arm like I suggested, I would've been quicker.”

She nibbled on her bottom lip. “I trust you too,” she said quickly. "I still have faith in you.”

He smiled. Hearing that felt so good.

“Skippy is a silly name for a goldfish,” she added.

Right. He grinned. “I knew you'd like it.”

“I don't.”

“Yeah, you do, prank-lady.”

Her lips twitched into a smile too. “Little bit.”

“I'm glad you're back.” He really, really was. Then he frowned at her. “Stop kidnapping innocent pets!”

She giggled and he was happy.


End file.
